Rightly or wrongly, the Blues were backed into a corner on Teague

Matt Walsh is a Melbourne-based sports journalist who willingly travels far and wide to watch any sport. Not only has he seen NFL in Dallas, football in London, baseball in Arlington and hockey in Boston, he's covered F1, AFL, Wimbledon and the Australian Open for a number of media outlets.

Like a dam wall breaking down under the growing pressure of floodwaters, the Blues succumbed to the popular wave of pressure to sign interim coach David Teague before the year was out.

Vocal fans, smitten players and media heads 'barracking for the yarn' had all clambered aboard the Teague Train in recent weeks, almost backing the board into a decision - one which nine weeks ago they might not have wanted to make.

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The simple fact that skipper Patrick Cripps and stalwart defender Kade Simspon were two of the most vocal voices in the pro-Teague camp also made the decision to appoint anyone but the man himself harder for the notoriously stubborn Carlton hierarchy.

Their enthusiasm, while admirable, would have been alarming to president Mark LoGiudice and CEO Cain Liddle, purely because if another, better-suited candidate arose, disunity and potentially mutiny might have risen through the ranks.

Concerningly, from all accounts, the Blues' only other interviewee was Port Adelaide assistant Michael Voss, and even his mid-season involvement in the process was criticized by Port chairman David Koch. This is despite LoGiudice's claims of an "extensive and thorough process" in a letter sent to members on Thursday.

David Teague has been signed for three years by the Blues. Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Who knows how many other potential candidates may have come forward following the conclusion of the season? Calling the race early is a risky move, and a precarious position any club chasing a new a coach finds itself in - leave it too long and there may be negative effects.

The elephant in the room in Carlton's situation is the strong link between the club and GWS star Stephen Coniglio. Cynics might say the Blues were content to be trigger happy on Teague in order to portray stability and growth heading into the off-season.

Locking away a senior coach before the end of the year -- and for three years, no less -- is both a show of faith in what Teague can bring to the table and a moment of peacocking to potential free agency and trade targets.

The Blues are aiming to give off an aroma of unity, and judging by the raucous reception Teague was met with from the playing group when his announcement was made official on Thursday, they're doing a good job at it.

But could the Coniglio situation -- or that surrounding others such as Tom Papley or Brad Hill -- have rushed the process?

Had Coniglio re-signed with the Giants last week, would Carlton have been so quick to lock away Teague? Perhaps, but an all-out assault on a genuine A-Grade midfielder is exactly what the club wants and needs. If unifying the coaching and playing groups is what they perceive as the best chance to get their man, then it's a bold move on the Blues' part.

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It seems that all stakeholders involved are happy with the appointment, as they were with Brendon Bolton and, once upon a time, with Mick Malthouse. The obvious difference in Teague's case is that Blues fans have seen a strong nine week audition, during which the caretaker posted an above par record of 5-4 - including admirable losses to joint flag favourites West Coast and Richmond.

But in a perfect world, an "extensive and thorough process" involves many more interviews than with just one outside source (polite enquiries to Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson aside), but footy isn't a slow game anymore, and getting one's ducks in a row heading into a non-stop off-season is crucial to the success of the 'quiet period'.

And with the expectations on this young list surely about to rise, securing Teague now (and with such firm backing from the playing group), in an effort to lure in on-field commodities is a risky and bold play.